Catalytic body and method of making the same.



CARLETON' ELLIS, 01F MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

oA'rALY'rIeBonY AND METHOD or MAKING THE SAME.

No Drawing.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARLETON ELLIs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Montclair, in the State ofNew Jersey, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Catalytic Bodies and Methods of Making the Same,of which the following is a specification.

- This invention relates to catalyzer adapted for synthetic operationssuch as the production of ammonia by combination of the elements of thelatter and relates particularly to a catalyst consisting of orcontaining a strongly basic metal or material contaming bodies of acharacter capable of readily occluding one or more of the reactingelements such for example as nitrogen in the case of cerium metal andwhich catalytic agent is preferably supported on a carrier, preferablyof a more or less porous character which preferably may be of materialadapted to absorb one or more of the gaseous elements so as to aid inthe reaction.

In producing a catalyzer, which may be employed for the production ofammonia from its elements, I preferably use a base, which may consist ofa hydrogen occluding agent, such as charcoal, particularly of the kindhereinafter referred to, said material being associated with a nitrogenoccluding metal, such as the metal cerium. For use as a catalyzer, it isnot necessary that the metal cerium, be absolutely pure. In fact it isdesirable that small amounts of one or more of such other metals aslanthanum, didymium, yttrium and certain others be present, as thesehave a considerable energizing effect upon the cerium, so that ceriumcontaining such other metals is greatly superior to the pure metal, as acatalyzer for the catalytic production of ammonia.

For the preparation of a suitable catalyst,

I preferably proceed in the following manner. vCerium oxid, which is atpresent a waste product of the mantle industry, and which containsusually a sufficiently large amount of the rare metals above referredto, is first washed to remove soluble salts of alkalis, etc., and may betreated in any desired manner to remove impurities which act as contactpoisons, or substances which cause a lowering of the catalytic actlvlty,and it is thereafter reduced to metal.

As stated above, cerium oxid often,con-

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 41, 31916.

Application filed August 9, 1912. Serial No. 714,155.

tains small percentages of lanthanum, didy- 'ble compounds thereof maybe added to the metallic cerium, or to the oxid used.

'Cerium, contaming such small amounts of the other rare metals, ispreferably convcrtcd into a contact mass in the following manner.Granular cocoanut charcoal is first washed or extracted with diluteacids, 6. g. by boiling with hydrochloric acid of moderate strength, toremove soluble matter, such as alkali and alkaline earth metal salts,and is thereafter washed well with water and dried, and heated in aninert atmosphere to about a red heat, after which hydrogen is passedthereover, at a temperature of from 300 C. upto a red heat, andthereafter molten cerium (prepared in the above manner) is atomized bymeans of a jet of hydrogen gas under pressure, upon the granularcharcoal, which may be contained in a rotating drum, in order to givegranular charcoal which is lightly and more or less uniformly coated,and somewhat im-. pregnated,- with finely divided metallic cerium,containing the above mentioned rare metals, which material willconstitute a catalyzer suitable for the production of ammonia set forthin an illustrative sense herein, but it should be understood that I donot limit myself to the precise materials described or to the mannerofmixing specifically set forth herein, but that various modificationsin composition or. procedure of incorporating may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit. of the present invention. a

While I have described my process in great detail, I do not limit myselfto these exact details, but only to the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is 1. A process of making a catalytic mass Which comprisesphysically uniting. granular carbonaceous material with finely dividedcerium.

2, A process of making a catalytic mass, which comprises treatinggranular charcoal with a solvent for alkali metal compounds and alkalineearth metal compounds, thereafter drying and physically uniting with afinely divided free metal capable of serving as a catalyzer.

3. A process of making a catalytic mass, which comprises physicallyuniting granular charcoal and a molten metal.

4. A process of making acatalytic mass, which comprises atomizing moltencatalytic material into contact with a granular carrier.

5. A process of making a catalytic mass, which comprises atomizingmolten cerium, containing activating agents, into contact with granularpurified charcoal.

6. A process of making a catalytic body, which comprises distributing acatalytic material in a molten condition into contact with a granularcarrier.

7. A process of making a catalytic body, which comprises distributingmolten cerium into contact with a granular carrier.

8. A process of making a catalytic body, which comprises distributingmolten cerium containing small percentages of lanthanum, didymium, andyttrium into contact with a granular carrier.

9. A process of making a catalytic body, which comprises distributing acatalytic material in a molten condition into contact with granularcocoanut charcoal.

10. In the preparation of a catalytic body, the step of preparinggranular charcoal, which comprises treatment with an acid, treatmentwith water, drying, and treatment with hydrogen.

11. In the preparation of a catalytic body, the step of preparinggranular charcoal,

. which comprises treatment with moderately concentrated hydrochloricacid, treatment with water, drying, and treatment with hydrogen.

12. In the preparation of a catalytic body, the step of preparinggranular charcoal, which comprises treatment with an acid, treatmentwith water, drying, and treatment vitlr hydrogen at atemperature of from300 C. to a red heat.

13. A process of making a catalytic body which comprises treatinggranular charcoal with an acid, thereafter treating the same with water,drying, and thereafter treating the same with hydrogen and with atomizedmolten catalytic metal.

14. In the preparation of a catalytic body, the step of preparinggranular charcoal, which comprises treatment with liquid purifyingagents, drying, and treatment with hydrogen.

1.5. In the preparation of a catalytic body, the step of preparinggranular charcoal,

which comprises treatment with solvents of alkali metal compounds andalkali earth metal compounds, drying, and treatment with hydrogen.

16. A catalytic body comprising a granular base carrying finely dividedcatalytic material including a rare earth element.

17. A catalytic body comprising purified granular charcoal carryingfinely divided catalytic material capable of readily combining withnitrogen.

18. A catalytic body comprising a granular base carrying finely dividedcerium.

19. A catalytic body comprising a granular base carrying finely dividedcerium containing activating agents.

20. A catalytic body comprising a granular base carrying finely dividedcatalytic metal, the latter containing associated therewith anactivating agent.

21. The process of making a catalyzer adapted to combine hydrogen andnitrogen which comprises incorporating an easily oxidizable nitrogenoccluding agent in a molten state with a hydrogen occluding agent in asubstantially non-oxidizing atmosphere.

22. The process of making a catalyzer adapted to combine hydrogen andnitrogen which comprises incorporating a nitrogen occluding agent with ahydrogen occluding agent in an atmosphere free from oxygen.

23. The process of making a catalyzer adapted as a hydrogen carrierwhich comprises incorporating a nitrogen occluding agent with a hydrogenoccluding agent in an atmosphere of hydrogen.

24:. A catalyzer comprising porous material comprising a hydrogenoccluding agent and a nitrogen occluding agent in contact 1 therewith. v

25. As a catalytic, a base carrying associated therewith, a finelydivided metal catalyst, containing a catalytic metal of the ceriumgroup, closely adhering thereto.

26. As a catalytic, a corbonaceous base associated with a catalyticmetal of the cerium group.

27. As a catalytic, a base associated with finely divided catalyticmetal comprising 110 cerium and activating agents.

28. As a catalytic, a base associated With finely divided catalyticmetal comprising metallic cerium, containing at least one of the metalslanthanum, didymium and yt- 115 trium.

29. A method of making a catalyst which comprises depositing a calatyticmetal of the cerium group, upon a carbonaceous base.

30. A method of producing. a. catalyst 120 which comprises atomizing amolten catalytic metal having the property of readily uniting withnitrogen, into contact with a bulky carrier.

31. A method of producing a catalyst which comprises atomizing moltencerium into contact with a carbonaceous base.

32. A catalyst comprising a carbonaceous base, and a catalytic materialcontaining metallic cerium closely adhering thereto.

33. As a catalyst, a body containing free 36. A catalyst comprising abase, substancarbon and free cerium. tially free from contact poison,carrying a 3%. A method of producing a catalyst catalytic metal of thecerium. group. which comprises coating a carbonaceous base Signed atMontclair, N. J. this 6th day of 5 with a fluid material containingmetallic August, 1912.

cerium, and allowing said material to so- CARLETON ELLIS.

lidify.

35. A catalyst comprising a carbonaceous W1tnesses: base, carrying ametallic nitrogen occluding F. CARBUTT,

10 agent. I B. M. ELLIS.

